LIFE IS A VOYAGE? IT MAY TAKE A STORM TO GET YOU WHERE GOD WANTS YOU?
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
I was talking to my older brother, his doctor said: SPELL DIET?
He started D-I-E --- The doctor stopped him.
The doctor said: DIET OR DIE? THE CHOICE IS YOURS?
WOW, is that honest?
Just as a carpenter has a saw, square, level, hammer to work on building
God has some tools that will accomplish His purpose if we will allow Him to do so.
Adversity and problems are tools in the hand of a Mighty God.
God will polish His jewels with troubles, trials, heartaches, disappointments.
The thorns we know seem to be a pain and are hurtful.
Thorn patches while seemingly limit us, may be part of our spiritual guidance system.
When everything is smooth and wonderful, we find societies that thrive in prosperity
often NELECT WEIGHTER SPIRITUAL ISSUES...
Come let us reason reality?
The heart of a normal individual would be about the size of your closed fist.
The heart has 4 chambers.
The heart rate will average around 72 beats a minute, or about 100,000 times a day.
This would be about 2.5 billion times in the average life span.
The blood travels through you arteries at about 55 feet a minute.
When you are active this could go up to 450 feet a minute.
Your heart at the top speed will pump about 16 quarts a minute, or 9,000 quarts are
pumped through the average heart a day.
The average weigh of an adult is around 11 ounces.
Doctors estimate the heart's weight will increase 1 ounce for every 22 pounds a person
is over weigh. This enlarges the heart and decreases the effectiveness of pumping
needed for healthy life styles.
A person 50 pounds overweight will increase the size of their hear 1/3 of normal.
A person 100 pounds overweight will increase the heart's size to almost double, thus
making the efficient blood pumper into great difficulty keep up with the body's needs.
Jude 1:24 (KJV) Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you
faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
Jude 1:24 (NLT) Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring
you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.
ARE WE SELF DEAFEATING? THE STORM IS COMING?
DO WE BRING OURSELVES TO DOOM AND GLOOM...
Proverbs 23:7 (KJV) For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to
thee; but his heart is not with thee.
EVER HEARD THESE DANGEROUS PHRASES?
I HEARD---
THEY SAID---
EVERYBODY SAYS ---
MANY OF US ARE PRAYING GOD STOP THIS STORM ---
Instead of preparing for storms?
Buttoning down the hatches?
Changing the sails?
Dropping the anchor?
I read about a rancher in the west.
He hired this man to work for him.
The man was a good worker and soon became the foreman on the ranch.
One night a terrible storm was blowing in, destruction was in it's path.
The owner found the man in bed sound asleep?
The owner shook him and said don't you care?
The owner said: WHAT ABOUT THE WIND MILL, IT WILL BE DESTROYED?
The man said: I already have that taken care of!
The owner was crying about the live stock going to be killed?
The man replied: Are the animals are safe and sound.
THE REASON THE MAN COULD SLEEP THROUGH THE STORM WAS HE
HAD TAKEN CARE OF EVERYTHING PRIOR TO THE STORM...
COULD WE CLOSE THE BOOK ON COMPLAINING, GRIPING, AND
FAULT FINDING
LET US OPEN A NEW BOOK CALLED PRAISE, EDIFICATION, AND NEW HOPE...
Thomas Edison maintained: FAILURE DOES NOT EXIST IF WE MAINTAIN THE RIGHT
ATTITUDES AND GET UP AND TRY AGAIN...
Edison said: Suppose I have 1,000 experiments and everyone of them FAILS?
I HAVE LEARNED 1,000 THINGS THAT WILL NOT WORK,
WE ARE GETTING NEAR SUCCESS.
Edison knew: WE LEARN BY FAILURE OUR FAILS AS WELL AS OUR SUCCESSES!
LIFE IS A VOYAGE? IT MAY TAKE A STORM TO GET YOU WHERE GOD WANTS YOU?
LISTEN TO ME? LISTEN TO ME!!!
Recall ACTS 27? PAUL HAD WARNED THE CAPTAIN, DO NOT SET SAIL?
I PERCEIVE THAT THIS VOYAGE WILL BE WITH HURT AND MUCH DAMAGE!!!
All HOPE IS GONE?
Acts 27:20 And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay
on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.
ALL HOPE MAY SEEM TO BE GONE? WHOSE REPORT WILL WE ACCEPT?
Acts 27:22 And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life
among you, but of the ship. 23 For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am,
and whom I serve, 24 Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God
hath given thee all them that sail with thee. 25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God,
that it shall be even as it was told me.
THERE IS ONE HOPE IN OUR HOPELESSNESS --- STAY WITH THE SHIP...
GREAT HOPE ---
Acts 27:31 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye
cannot be saved.
SHAKE IT OFF?
Recall Acts 28:3? Paul was picking up sticks. It was a cold, damp day... They were preparing
to build a fire? The MEAN, BAD VIPER INTENDED TO KILL THE PREACHER THAT DAY?
NO WAY, JOSE?
Paul just shook the snake in the fire and continued preaching...
FIND JOY! KEEP JOY!
Proverbs 15:13 (KJV) A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the
heart the spirit is broken.
Proverbs 15:15 (KJV) All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart
hath a continual feast.
Proverbs 15:13 (NLT) A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit.
Proverbs 15:15 (NLT) For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart,
life is a continual feast.
Proverbs 15:13 (MSG) A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; a sad heart makes it
hard to get through the day.
Proverbs 15:15 (MSG) A miserable heart means a miserable life; a cheerful heart fills the day
with song.
ABBA FATHER...
Do we understand that the Moslem, Isis, Isle Islam, whatever you want to call them,
HAS 99 NAMES FOR THEIR GOD... Mohammah
Mohammad ---guides people in the right way? not a moral person...
He bought, captured and owned slaves...
Mohammad had sex with a 12 year old girl, baby died...
He mistreated women...
He hated any JEW and commanded their death.
He had 900 people beheaded at one time...
BUT AMONG ALL THE NAMES THEY DO NOT HAVE "OUR FATHER!
We have a HEAVENLY FATHER --- eyes full of mercy and heart full of love...
Our heavenly father has a SON NAMED JESUS...
ABBA FATHER...
ABBA IS USED 3 TIMES IN THE BIBLE...
ABBA ALWAYS IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH FATHER...
In all 3 cases the Greek word for Father follows:
ABBA IS A TERM EXPRESSING WARM AFFECTION
FILIAL (fil-lee--el) CONFIDENCE--- love for a son or daughter,
THERE IS NO GOOD ENGLISH TRANSLATION THAT FULLY STATES THE
LOVE AND AFFECTION...
Matthew 6:9 (KJV) After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Mark 14:36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup
from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.
Romans 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received
the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
DO I UNDERSTAND THE LESSON OF THE AGES?
YES, GOD IS ABLE TO KEEP...
2 Timothy 1:12 (KJV) For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am
not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep
that which I have committed unto him against that day.
2 Timothy 1:12 (NLT) That is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it,
for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have
entrusted to him until the day of his return.
I was listening to the radio the other day. The Preacher told of a wonderful lady that
read and studied her Bible several times a day. She could quote many scriptures from
memory. Many times when people was having trouble finding the verse they were looking,
they would call her and she would help them find the truth that they were searching...
Her favorite verse was 2 Timothy 1:12.
You could often hear her as she spoke this verse.
2 Timothy 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not
ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep
that which I have committed unto him against that day.
The years came and left the precious lady with memory lapses...
She got so bad she could only speak part her favorite verse.
--- for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep
that which I have committed unto him against that day.
Later her smile was still there but the Alzheimer made deep ruts into her mind.
All she could recall was: that he is able to keep...
She spoke the words so clearly over and over... that he is able to keep ...
THROUGH THE MONTHS OF PAIN AND SICKNESS HER MIND COULD NO
LONGER FOCUS AND SHE COULD NOT SPEAK BUT A WORD OR TWO...
HER LAST FEW DAYS NO ONE COULD UNDERSTAND MUCH OF WHAT SHE
WAS SAYING...AS SHE WAS ON HER DEATH BED A YOUNG PERSON LEANED
OVER HER AND CLEARLY HER SAYING OVER AND OVER...
HIM, HIM, HIM --- HER VOICE WAS WEAKER AND WEAKER ---
SHE LOST ALL THE BIBLE SHE ONCE KNEW, BUT HER LITTLE FOCUS WAS
VERY CLEAR---
SHE HAD LOST ALL SHE EVER KNEW BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT WORD
SHE HAD EVER LEARNED --- HIM, HIM, HIM... SHE REPEATED THIS UNTIL HER
LAST BREATHE --- HIM, SHE HAD THE SERMON IN A NUT SHELL!
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
